Department History

Dr. Clark Randt joined the faculty of CWRU in 1951 and was named director of the newly formed Division of Neurology within the Department of Medicine in 1956. In 1959, he left to join NASA and later became the Chair at New York University. Dr. Joseph Foley became director in September 1961.

The division rapidly grew under his direction into a nationally recognized program. Upon his retirement, the Department of Neurology was formed, and Dr. Robert B. Daroff became its first chairman in 1980. Dr. Daroff became Chief of Staff at University Hospitals and Associate Dean at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1994. Dr. Dennis M.D. Landis was appointed as chairman in 1995.

Dr. Landis stepped down as chairman in 2006, and Dr. Robert B. Daroff assumed the position of interim chairman. Following a national search, Dr. Anthony J. Furlan was appointed as chair in 2008. Dr. Furlan stepped down to become Center Director of Research and Education, and Dr. Cathy Sila was appointed as chair in 2019.

The department has continued to grow and now includes 65 faculty at nine sites (University Hospitals - Cleveland Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Richmond Medical Center, Bedford Medical Center, Westlake Health Center, Chagrin Highlands Health Center, Suburban Health Center, Foley Elder Heath Center, and the Cleveland VA Medical Center). Within the department are many centers, among them: Epilepsy, Neuromuscular, Movement Disorders, Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disorders, Critical Care Neurology, Brain Health and Memory, Community Neurology and Neuro-Ophthalamology / Balance.

The department supports a large residency training program of 48 residents (12 a year), in addition to fellows in Pediatric Neurology, Neuromuscular Medicine, Vascular Neurology, Epilepsy, Clinical Neurophysiology (EEG) and Neurologic Critical Care. In research, the department has an active clinical trials unit and has consistently ranked among the top twenty programs in the country for NIH funding.